Raanta earns trust in Hurricanes teammates with playoff performance
Posted May 17, 2022 8:31 a.m. EDT
Raleigh, N.C. — Max Domi was the unexpected Game 7 hero for the Carolina Hurricanes, but the majority of the credit for the first round series win versus the Boston Bruins goes to goaltender Antti Raanta.
After being thrust into the starting role, Raanta has earned the trust of his teammates.
Raanta spent the regular season backing up the guy. Now, "We'll he's the guy," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said of Raanta.
With previous starting goalie Frederik Andersen still dealing with a lower-body injury he suffered April 16, Raanta is the Hurricanes' go-to goaltender for the second round against the New York Rangers. He's taking momentum with him. "His peace of mind and his confidence in himself, I think it's been huge," Brind'Amour said.
While earning three wins in the series versus Boston, Raanta made key saves, including on a two-on-one in Game 7 to keep the game scoreless in the first period. "He made a lot of saves like that," said defenseman Tony DeAngelo. "Even when we were (losing) in Boston. It was 2-1, and he was making big saves. He's been really good for us so we have a lot of trust in him."
That trust comes from Raanta's poised and patient personality in the crease. "He's got such a calm demeanor to him in net," said DeAngelo. "He doesn't get rattled. Even when he does let in a goal, there's no yelling or stick slamming. Some goalies get a little fired up."
The plan may not have been for Raanta to star in the leading role. Injuries have forced him to be a backup for most of his nine-year career. But fellow Finland native Teuvo Teravainen knew immediately, if healthy, Raanta could be the guy when called upon. "I knew right away when we signed him," Teravainen said. "He has that whenever he can get back to himself again, he's going to be good for us. And now he looks really confident out there. You can just see that everybody trusts him, and he trusts the team."
The Hurricanes have home-ice advantage against the Rangers, a team which Raanta played for two seasons from 2015-2017.
Game 1 starts Wednesday at 7 p.m. at PNC Arena.